Posted on Jun 14, 2022
How do you maintain your personal hygiene while on a deployment?
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For those of you who have deployed to combat or inhospitable environments, how did you manage to keep yourselves from getting too overgrown. I have particularly thick hair that grows throughout my body. Stateside, we have the comfort and privacy of our own bathrooms to take care of our grooming needs. On deployments, I would assume this is a luxury we no longer have. So, how can you take care of personal hygiene such as this. Do you get R&R time where you have barracks that you stay in? Did you have to go from a port-a-potty to a showering tent? Is this something that just goes left unkempt for the duration of the deployment? How have you handled such a task in the past?
Posted in these groups: 
Deployment
Infantry
Grooming Standards
11B: Infantryman
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Deployment Infantry Grooming Standards 11B: Infantryman Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) - Afghanistan
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 13
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In 05, a shower was a once-a-month luxury if you were lucky. Maybe even a good shave and a real haircut.
Baby wipes took care of most of your issues with your pits, your balls and your ass. Maybe your feet if you had enough. Water for the rest.
Port-a-Potty? How about a wooden ammo crate instead....
Baby wipes took care of most of your issues with your pits, your balls and your ass. Maybe your feet if you had enough. Water for the rest.
Port-a-Potty? How about a wooden ammo crate instead....
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Sgt (Join to see)
SFC (Join to see) - Why? Just dig a hole. I didn't want to carry an extra pencil let alone a bunch of trash bags.
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Most forward locations nowadays have latrine trailers and shower trailers. With running water. Some locations, depending on rank, there may be barracks with latrines...but they are far and few between. All you really need to be concerned about is if your face is shaved properly. Even if there is no trailer or container to shave in....you can always use your canteen cup and water. No one is going to care if your chest hair got too long.
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If youre deployed on a large FOB there are usually pretty nice facilities to shave and shower in. If youre on a small platoon sized COP running patrols daily and taking incoming fairly often hygene quickly becomes the 4th or 5th most important thing behind weapons maintenance, food, water and base upkeep. Electric razor wont keep you super smooth and bald faced but its good enough and haircuts were had when we ran refit missions to the FOB. But it wouldnt be uncommon to go close to a couple months without one and a month or so between real showers.
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